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Gymnadenia corneliana . Nigritelle rose/de Cornelia. Cornelia's gymnadenia. (Beauverd) Nigritella are high altitude orchids only. They can be found in the Massif Central or the Jura for the lowest altitudes but abundantly in the Alps and also in the Pyrenees. Differentiating the species will be a complicated task because even within a station we will find plants with more or less conical or round spikes, more or less elongated. The coloring is generally purple as for many high altitude plants. All species have a more or less pronounced smell of vanilla. It will therefore be necessary to rely on specialized works to find distinctive signs in the shape of the labella and bracts. This species is found only in the Alps. It displays a pink coloration at the bottom of the inflorescence and bracts longer than the latter. Click on the photos to enlarge

Epipactis muelleri. Epipactis de Müller. Mueller's helleborine. The flower is typical of Epipactis in its shape with petals and sepals of the same whitish/greenish colour. The hypochile is dark brown in colour. Like all Epipactis, it flowers in June/July in semi-shade. It can also be found on the side of the road at high altitudes. In Epipactis, the labellum is divided into two parts: the hypochile, concave, contains more or less nectar, which gives it a shiny appearance, and the epichile, often pointed, sometimes folded, with a complex appearance, rarely smooth and covered with bumps, hollows or furrows that allow insects to cling while they draw nectar. Petals and sepals are generally of the same color, more or less greenish. The pollinia, once stuck on the head of the insect, slowly disintegrate, which allows several flowers to be fertilized. Click on the photos to enlarge

Himantoglossum robertianum. Orchis géant. Giant orchid. (Loiseleur) The orchid is Mediterranean but tends to extend its territory towards the North and the West. It requires both climatic conditions for an orchid to progress territorially but also pollinators. There is speculation about its expansion: seeds carried by the winds, birds, vehicle wheels... It is even reported now in the Netherlands! Easy to identify because of its color and sometimes its imposing size (but often of modest size: about 15/30 cm), you will sometimes see it at the side of the road on the embankments. It gives off a delicate smell of lily or hyacinth (in my opinion...). Its seasonality is also strange because for almost all orchids, flowering moves from the South to the North over the weeks of spring, but we find it flowering from the month of February in certain stations in France and still in April in some of the Mediterranean islands further south! We can even find Himantoglossum hircinum and Himantoglossum robertianum , both in flower on 15/04, on the Villefranche sur Saône motorway service area, north of Lyon. (Personal observation). Click on the photos to enlarge

Gymnadenia rhellicani. Orchis vanille. Nigritella are high altitude orchids only. They can be found in the Massif Central or the Jura for the lowest altitudes but abundantly in the Alps and also in the Pyrenees. Differentiating the species will be a complicated task because even within a station we will find plants with more or less conical or round spikes, more or less elongated. The coloring is generally purple as for many high altitude plants. All species have a more or less pronounced smell of vanilla. It will therefore be necessary to rely on specialized works to find distinctive signs in the shape of the labella and bracts. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys incubacea. Ophrys noir. Ophrys incubacea is very close morphologically to Ophrys sphegodes. Among the distinctive criteria, we can note the basal field darker than the macule and a fairly pronounced metallic blue color on the macular patterns and pseudo-eyes. The edge of the labellum is quite often very hairy. Click on the photos to enlarge

Anacamptis morio. Orchis bouffon Green winged orchid. Where to find it ? Clic on the map and connect to Orchis sauvage, FFO-Fédération France Orchidées Green winged orchid ( Anacamptis morio ) formerly attached to the genus Orchis is a relatively common and rather early plant (from April to June). The genus is European and well represented in France with very common species such as the pyramidal Anacamptis (Orchis pyramidal) or others more localized mainly in the south of the country. Relatively easy to identify: the stem measures 10 to 30 cm, it is green and turns purple at the level of the inflorescence. The green, unspotted leaves are sometimes inconspicuous but generally bloom from the base. The flowers range from light pink to purple, The sepals and petals are grouped together in the shape of a helmet (like the majority Orchis). The sepals are striped, which will make it easy to differentiate the Jester Orchis from the male Orchis which sometimes shares the same biotope with the same flowering dates. A few meters away, confusion is possible. Click on the photos to enlarge

BIOGRAPHY Presentation Amateur photographer since adolescence and passionate about natural sciences even if I did not make it my job, I discovered wild orchids about ten years ago by chance. I am lucky to live in the south of Essonne and not far from the forest of Fontainebleau. Between Etampes and Fontainebleau, the wastelands and limestone lawns, which are very frequent, are home to many orchids: Orchis, Ophrys, Epipactis...but you quickly feel cramped and the passion sometimes becomes an endless quest for new species, 'Hybrids, from Lusus. So I quickly extended my surveys to my native region: the Côte d'Or and the neighboring Jura. Then the Alps and La Vanoise to take advantage of the staggered flowering of certain species at altitude. At the beginning of spring, Aude and Aveyron... How and... why stop? Not being monomaniacal for all that, I also photograph other flowers, the insects that visit them. Good visit to all and do not hesitate to comment! Contact me Email: pascal.decologne@laposte.net Send Thank you for what you sent !

Spiranthes spiralis. Spiranthe d'automne. Autumn lady's tresses. It's all in the name! The orchid blooms in autumn (late August to be exact...) and its inflorescence describes a spiral. It is both rare, except in certain departments in the south of France, and not very visible. Orchid enthusiasts are less active in prospecting at the end of August, and it passes outside the usual observation periods. Sometimes, moreover, it flowers without warning: no announcing leaves, the stem emerges, the orchid flowers then disappears in about twenty days no more (experience). Discovering it is sometimes a matter of chance or thanks to a transmission between initiates. Given its particular needs in terms of biotope, it will sometimes find shelter in an urban area (untrampled but regularly mowed lawn, maintained cemetery edges, etc.) In principle, the leaves are visible (but they must be noticed) before flowering. The genus Spiranthes is widespread throughout the world and in both hemispheres, which is unusual among orchids (apart from inter-tropical species, of course). Spiranthes spiralis and its "cousin" Spiranthes aestivalis are European and are found in France rather in the south but its presence is proven in many departments although rare. Spiranthes aestivalis likes more humid soils than Spiranthes spiralis which prefers fresh or dry calcareous soils. Morphologically, differentiating them will be extremely complicated moreover. A shift in the flowering date will add even more confusion: from there to suppose that there is only one species with early flowering localities... Of variable size (between 5 and 30 cm), it will be found on grounds with short grass and thus will be visible despite its small size to an attentive observer. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys tenthredinifera. Ophrys guêpe. Sawfly orchid. A beautiful Ophrys! Very colorful with pretty shapes, it can be found in some southern departments in April. (Aude, Pyrénées orientales, Gers, Vaucluse and Corsica). It is not a common orchid in France and Italy or Spain host much larger populations. Its label, however, presents a very large variety of colors and shapes, so we will judge on the overall appearance of the flower to validate the species. The appendage (at the bottom and in the center of the labellum) is often very upturned and topped with quite visible developed hair. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys bombyliflora. Ophrys bombyx. Bumble bee orchid Small Ophrys in terms of the size of the plant and flowers. Mediterranean distribution and quite rare presence in continental France. It is more easily found in Corsica. Easily recognizable with its rounded appearance and its sepals appearing very large compared to the labellum. Click on the photos to enlarge

Ophrys speculum. Ophrys miroir. Mirror orchid Also called Ophrys ciliata . eyebrow. A rare species in continental France, it is found in Corsica and on Mediterranean islands. Its almost permanent absence in France would be due to the lack of pollinating insects, so the populations observed are rarely perennial: it appears here and there, disappears and then reappears. But how does it manage to flower? As it is found in the Mediterranean departments, and sporadically on the Atlantic coast, the fertile seeds would arrive carried by the southerly winds, which would allow the emergence of small populations but not their development from flowering plants in France. Easily recognizable with its shiny labellum, sometimes blue, initially surrounded by yellow and then fringed with abundant hair, it looks like it is made of glazed or enameled ceramic. It grows in open wasteland, scrubland and in calcareous soil. Click on the photos to enlarge

Orchis anthropophora. Orchis homme pendu. Man orchid The Hanging Man Orchid is part of the Orchis genus, which has largely been stripped of many species now classified in the Anacamptis or Dactylorhiza genera. It was part of the Aceras genus, which now has no representatives in France. Orchis are tuberous orchids, usually having two which gave them their Greek name Orchis which means testicle. One of the tubers allows the growth of the plant while the second forms during this same period and will replace the original tuber gradually withered the following year. If we were to dig up an orchid (which I of course prohibit), we would therefore find the tuber of the year more or less withered, the tuber in the making for the future season and sometimes an old one totally withered from the previous year. Orchids are fairly tall plants (20 to 60 cm), rather robust and easily spotted in meadows, wastelands or light undergrowth. The preferred soils are generally calcareous or marly and rather dry. The sepals and lateral petals are united to form a "helmet" while the central petal (labellum) offers a fairly complex shape that varies from one species to another. Three Orchis are quite close morphologically and "coloristically": Orchis militaris (Military Orchis), Orchis purpurea (Purple Orchis) and Orchis simia (Monkey Orchis). Hybridizations are therefore possible that will not allow a certain identification. Of a color where green dominates, but with yellow and a little purple tints, it is generally not very colorful. Its labellum is long and narrow, a bit like a silhouette whose legs and arms hang down along the body, hence its name "hanging man" in French and "Man orchid" in English. It likes drained limestone soils and is often found on small slopes, edges of paths, embankments, rarely on forest paths but sometimes on the edge of woods. It hybridizes easily with other Orchis (military, purple or monkey). Present in many departments (except Brittany), it flowers between the end of April and the end of June depending on the region and altitude. It is one of the most common orchids in France. Click on the photos to enlarge